Garrapata State Park

So the Big Sur is technically closed. There are tricks how to get to one or another place. But you will not be able just to drive on Highway 1 from Carmel to San Simeon. And even if it’s sad it is still an excellent opportunity to explore some places alongside the coast with the smaller crowds.
I cannot dream about the possibility to get shot of the Bixby Bridge from the east side. But every time we drove here, you first needed to wait for a line for parking, and then a line for a photo. Or, just be here the first 🙂

Year or more ago Big Sur struggled with another catastrophic event. The name of it is Soberanes Fire. And if it closed most of the State Park of the region, the biggest loss received Garrapata State Park where the source of the fire was.
In the year 2014, we hiked the Soberanes Canyon trail to the Rocky Ridge. The stunning views from the top made our hearts stop. From this time we are constantly planned to return back there.
Enough of the sad talks! The park has few miles of trails west of the Highway 1 that are still opened. Of course, parts of the trail are on the constant renovation. But you still have a Whale Peak hike that gives you an idea what is the Big Sur.

I wrote about the role of the fog in the image of the Big Sur, and here is another confirmation of the fact. Patches of the fog give the place a magical feeling. Can you even guess where the horizon is?

So let me return to the Whale Peak. Or the Soberanes Point. The small uphill hike leads to the greatest Vista on Highway 1. 360 degrees view of the ocean, coast, highway, and inland covered with ice plants that bloom each Spring.